Windrowing attachment.



PATENTED JUNE 23, 1908.

w. GATERMAN. WINDROWING ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1906. RENEWED NOV.23, 1907.

WITNESSES! INVENTO A TTORN E Yd THE mums PETERS :04, wnsumamu, n. c.

M WQM' WILLIAM GATERMAN, OF MANITOWOG, WISCONSIN.

WINDROWING ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 23, 1908.

Application filed. January 5, 1906, Serial N 0. 294,713. RenewedNovember 23, 1907. Serial No. 403,539.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GATERMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Manitowoc, county of Manitowoc, and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Windrowing Attachments,

lected hay or grain when turning corners also to secure a maximum degreeof strength with minimum weight and the greatest freedom of delivery.

In the following description reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings in Which,-

Figure 1 is a plan view of a sickle bar with my invention appliedthereto. Fig. 2 is a detail side view of the outer end portion of thesickle bar and its attachment. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of oneof the windrowing bars.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughoutthe several views.

1 is the sickle bar of a mowing or reaping machine, and 2 is aconnecting bar attached to the sickle bar by links 3. The windrowingbars 5 are formed of half oval wire and are looped through slots 6 inthe connecting bar 2, forming a hinged joint connection. The undersurface of the bars 5 is flat, while the u per surface is rounded, asbest illustrate in Fig. 3. The bars 5 are of progress inglyincreasinglength from the outer to the inner end of the sickle bar, and their rearends are curved upwardly as shown. The bars 5 are also rigidly connectedin pairs near their front ends by cross bars 10, and the longer bars 5are additionally reinforced by stays 11, the rear ends of which aresecured to the bars 5, while the front ends are curved inwardly and arecentrally secured to the cross bars 10. The innermost and longest bar 5is reinforced by a bar 14 secured to said bar 5 at 15 and to a cross bar16 at 17. The outer end portion of the bar 14 is off-set to the rear ofthe wheel 18, and

extended in a position substantially parallel to the bars 5, whereby itis adapted to serve asa continuation of the windrowing series. A branchbar 20 is pivotally secured to the outer end portion of the bar 14 at21, and is adapted to swing inwardly to the position in which it isshown in Fig. 1 when turning corners. In this position it lifts severalof the inner bars 5 and prevents the delivery of material fromthese'bars, such delivery being ordinarily effected by the friction ofthe material upon the surface of the ground between the windrowing bars.It also prevents'bars 5 from catching and being twisted or broken. Whenthe machine is moved in a straight line the branch bar 20 swingsbackwardly and trails with the bar 14.

The outermost bar 5 is braced by a stay bar 23, which is connected withthe cross bar at 2 1, and with the windrowing bar at 25. The brace bar26 supports the upwardly curved portion of the outer bar 5 from the staybar 23, the object of this construction being to reinforce this -endwindrowing bar to enable it to withstand the pressure of uncut grain orhay, which by lodging might extend into the path of this bar. The bar 23also serves as a shoe and is provided with a trailing arm 28, which iscurved outwardly to push back lodged grain or grass out of the path ofthe wheels when making the next round. This arm 28 acts supplementallyto the removable guard 30 and the shoe 31 on the outer end of sickle bar1.

By connecting the windrowing bars in pairs and loosely securing thesepairs of bars to the connecting bar 2, a certain mobility in thewindrowing bars is permitted, while the spaces between the bars are keptsubstantially equal. The strain upon the connections is thus greatlyreduced and the structure rendered much more durable than with thewindrowing bars independently connected by bolts or rivets. 7

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is,

1. In a device of the described class, the combination with a sicklebar; of a series of trailing windrowing bars, each having hingedconnection with the sickle-bar and each having rigid connection withanother of the windrowing bars near its forward end.

2. In a device of the described class, the combination with a sicklebar; of a series of trailing windrowing bars, each having hingedconnection with the sickle bar and each having rigid connection withanother of the windrowing bars near its forward end, together with stayscentrally connected to a suitable support between some of the windrowing bars, and secured to the bars intermediate of their ends.

3. In a device of the described class, the combination with a sicklebar, of a connecting bar linked thereto, and provided with a series ofslots; windrowing bars having their front ends looped through saidslots, and forming a hinge connection with the connecting bar; andcross-bars rigidly connecting the windrowing bars in pairs adjacent totheir front ends.

4. In a device of the described class, the combination with a sicklebar; of a set of trailing windrowing bars having upwardly curved rearends and progressively increas ing in length from the outer to the innerbars of the set; each of said bars being formed of half oval wire withthe rounded surface uppermost.

5. In a device of the described class, the 'combination with a set ofwindrowing bars, of a supplemental oif-set inner bar; and a trailing barpivotally connected therewith and adapted to swing underneath some ofthe windrowing bars when turning corners.

6. In a device of the described class, the combination with a sickle barhaving a trailing shoe at its outer end; of a set of windrowing barsconnected with the sickle bar; an outer windrowing bar mounted upon thetrailing shoe and having an upwardly curved end portion; and a braceconnecting said upwardly curved portion with the shoe.

7. In a device of the described class, the combination with a sickle barprovided with a trailing shoe at its outer end, of a set of windrowingbars connected with the sickle bar; anouter windrowing bar having anupwardly curved end portion; a brace connecting the upwardly curvedportion with the shoe; and an outwardly and rearwardly projecting guardarm secured to the rear end of said shoe.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

' WILLIAM GATERMAN. Witnesses LEVERETT C. WHEELER, Ms. B. ERWIN.

